3 life hacks to improve your career progression

In order to be successful in real estate, you need to work on more than just your business skills.

Kate Strickland, Marshall White director, spoke at AREC 2016 about how taking care of yourself is just as important for career progression.

1. Make an escapeWhen she realised her work style was becoming detrimental to her health, Ms Strickland turned her life around and began taking better care of herself.

“Every January, I go to a health retreat. It’s the way I start my year,” she said.

But taking time out to go to a health retreat isn’t enough. You need to give yourself the best possible chance of de-stressing.

“It doesn’t mean go on holiday with your family and friends, and have fun and lie by the pool. It’s actually removing yourself from your everyday life and taking yourself away ... don’t go with somebody,” Ms Strickland said.

It’s often the things we don’t want to do which are actually what we need. Going on holiday by yourself can be some people’s worst nightmare, but it can give you a chance to gain perspective and centre yourself.

2. Take care of yourselfWhen you are focusing on your career, it can be easy to forget about personal development, but Ms Strickland believes this is one of the most important things you can do. She sees a mindfulness coach, practices yoga and meditation, and has improved her diet, all of which has improved how she functions at work.

“My personal trainer, obviously it’s health and fitness, but it’s certainly just a break ... it’s someone to talk to outside of the industry as well,” Ms Strickland said. She also uses meditation app 1 Giant Mind and attends yoga class and sees a mindfulness coach once a week.

3. Expand your life outside of work“It’s about doing something else. If someone asked me a few years ago, ‘Kate what do you do?’ I would have just said, ‘Well, I’m a wife and I’m a real estate agent’ – how boring!” Ms Strickland decided she needed to invest in her life outside work to make her a better agent and more relatable to her clients.

“People want to be around you if you’re exciting and filled with energy and you do lots of different things,” she said. Ms Strickland started participating in triathlons and fun runs to raise her social media visibility and improve her fitness. She also listens to podcasts on Saturday mornings, which she describes as “something totally different that I want to listen to while I’m in the shower”.

Improving your skills outside of work will have a direct result on your career progression, Ms Strickland said. She encourages everyone to take more personal time to explore themselves outside of work.